Military Transition

Last week, Monday, August 7th, 2023, I retired from active duty. I'm actually still on active duty but enjoying terminal leave (vacation). When it's all said and done, I will have served for 31 years as a Marine. I'm tremendously proud of my service, those I served with, and grateful to the countless individuals that supported me along the way. The ceremony was remarkable, and in many ways, much more than I envisioned or even wanted.

Two years prior to my retirement, I started my LinkedIn account. After speaking with many #mentors and #retiredmilitary I decided it was an opportunity to document my #transition process. Like everything I do, I wanted it to be done as well as possible, so I asked Michael Quinn for assistance, and he guided me along the way. As I've said many times before, if you're not sure how to maximize your opportunities on this platform, you should consider attending one of his LinkedIn seminars, it's free.

I began sharing stories, asking questions, and highlighting engagements on my profile. Many of my early posts didn't get much traction, but over time service members and leaders in the private sector began to engage with me. For me it was never about gaining a large number of followers, or a high 'Like' count, it was to share my story, help others, and increase my options when I retire. Based on the feedback I received I think we were a success. We went from a few followers to almost 13k in those two years and I've been able to help countless people, and my employment opportunities are greater than I could have imagined.

I'd like to also thank American Corporate Partners (ACP) and The Honor Foundation for helping me along the way. If you're eligible to receive their support I highly recommend it.

But now I'm no longer wearing the uniform and I'm in the weird in-between. I haven't started working yet, but I've also shared my experience transitioning and have nothing more to add to that story. On purpose I banked a lot of terminal leave and plan to take a lot (over three months) of time off before I start working again.

So, what now? Do I plan to close my account because I got mine?

Well, now I plan to share new stories and thoughts. I'll keep my account active and offer my insights where I have experience or expertise. Some of this will start with exciting new offers I will be accepting over the next few days and months. Other discussion topics will be my adventures going through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs process as I go through the BDD (Benefits Delivery at Discharge) process. I hope to continue our engagements, learn from others, and continue to add value when asked. If you have any questions or topics you would like me to dive into, please share them in the comments section and I'll consider a future post on it.

As I said when I retired, the Marine Corps Eagle, Globe and Anchor is tattooed on my soul. I will always be a Marine regardless of status. However, I am not one to live in the past, that is what I did, I'm now looking at new challenges. I was MGySgt Stalker, I'm now Scott, regardless of what rank or position you're currently in I prefer to be called by my first name going forward.

Thank you, and more to come soon,

-Scott